"Many Photos" - Plastic bag use halves in one year and supermarkets record a 93 per cent drop after 5p charge

Carrier bag sales at supermarkets have plunged 93 per cent thanks to the 5p levy.

A typical shopper now gets through just ten a year, down from 19 last year and a shocking 140 in 2014.

The heartbreaking sight of throwaway plastic choking sealife shocked the nation and led to this paper's Banish the Bags campaign a decade ago.

Just five years ago 7.6billion bags were being handed out annually by the big supermarkets. 

Carrier bag sales at supermarkets have plunged 93 per cent thanks to the 5p levy. In five years plastic bag use has gone from 7.6billion bags down to 549million

But that has now fallen to only 549million – meaning many fewer end up in rivers and seas or blowing around the countryside.

Charities are also reaping the benefits – with £169million from bag charges going to good causes.

Today, writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, the new Environment Secretary says she will do all she can to ensure Britain ends its 'toxic relationship' with plastic. 

Theresa Villiers says: 'Our comprehensive action to slash plastic waste and leave our environment in a better state continues to deliver results, with our 5p charge reducing plastic bag sales by 90 per cent in the big supermarkets.

Writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, the new Environment Secretary says she will do all she can to ensure Britain ends its 'toxic relationship' with plastic

'No one wants to see the devastating impact plastic waste is having on our precious wildlife. Today's figures are a powerful demonstration that we are collectively calling time on being a throwaway society.

'Every Daily Mail reader who has led the way by using and reusing a bag for life, or other sustainable alternative, can be confident that they have contributed to a cleaner, greener, healthier environment. The British public have risen to the challenge put to them by the Daily Mail's long-standing Banish the Bags campaign.'

The 549million figure – an annual fall of 45 per cent – relates to last year and covers stores in England owned by Asda, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, the Co-op, Tesco and Waitrose.

Taking in all supermarkets with more than 250 employees, bag sales fell 37 per cent in 2018/19 to 1.11billion.

The Mail's call for a levy was resisted by the Treasury amid claims it would be unpopular with consumers and retailers. But it was finally introduced in October 2015 by George Osborne.

The charge on plastic bags is not the only measure to stop the tide of plastic pollution that this newspaper has championed.

Fantastic! British Public have risen to The Mail's public challenge 

Breaking up is hard to do, even when you know the relationship is toxic.

So congratulations to shoppers and supermarkets in England for moving on from the flimsy plastic carrier bag and finding a better way to get their groceries home.

Today, one week into my new role as Environment Secretary, I’m delighted to say that plastic bag sales have dropped by more than 90 per cent in the main supermarkets since 2015.

Such a steep reduction tells a clear story: of society’s growing concern about the damage caused by plastic litter to the environment and vulnerable species, and our growing determination to do what we can to help.

The new figures reveal the positive, long-term impact of the 5p charge.

The average person in England now buys ten bags a year from the big seven supermarkets, down from 140 bags in pre-charge days.

Every Daily Mail reader who has led the way by using and reusing a bag for life, or other sustainable alternative, can be confident that they have contributed to a cleaner, greener, healthier environment. The British public have risen to the challenge put to them by the Daily Mail’s longstanding Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign.

Those who have paid for a 5p bag, meanwhile, can take comfort from knowing that retailers have donated £169million to good causes from the proceeds of the scheme to date. Yet there is still much more we can all do – government included – to spare our natural environment from further harm.

In the UK we use an estimated five million tons of plastic each year, nearly half of which is packaging. There is no mistaking the strength of feeling about the need to tackle pollution from plastics that can take hundreds of years to decompose.

This is felt in every area and in every age group; but my campaigning work on this issue in my constituency in Barnet makes me especially aware of the deep concern about this felt by children and young people. I agree we need to go further. So I am looking at ways to extend the scope of the bag charge, and at other measures to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment in the first place.

I am determined as the new secretary of state that we will make real and measurable progress in delivering our ambition to eliminate avoidable plastic waste within 25 years.

For example, we want producers to pay for the entire cost of dealing with the plastic packaging waste they create, up from 10 per cent now, to encourage the use of alternative products that are less damaging.

The plummeting rates of plastic bag use confirmed today illustrate that making small changes to daily habits can help us reset our relationship with the natural world.

The plastic bag charge is testament to the power we have to make a lasting difference when we work together on behalf of the planet.

Other include a world-leading ban on microbeads, a deposit return scheme on bottles and cans to come into force by 2023, and a ban on the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in April 2020. 

The Government is also planning to tax plastic packaging that is not at least 30 per cent from recycled content.

Maddy Haughton-Boakes, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: 'The continued reduction in plastic bag use in our supermarkets is yet more evidence of the huge impact that a small financial incentive can have.

'Theresa Villiers must now build on this success by rolling it out to all small shops, as well as larger retailers and supermarkets.

'There is also absolutely no reason why the charge shouldn't be applied to all bags, paper as well as plastic, to bring an end to the use of these single-use items altogether.

'Another small financial incentive the Government must hurry up and introduce is a deposit return system for every single drinks can, bottle carton and pouch of all shapes, sizes and materials.

'By placing a small deposit on all drinks containers, we will boost recycling rates to over 90 per cent, create a circular economy for the tens of billions consumed each year, and bring an end to the environmental damage they cause.' 

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News Photo Plastic bag use halves in one year and supermarkets record a 93 per cent drop after 5p charge 
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